La Porte County Master Gardeners held their annual recognition meeting on Thursday, April 4, at Red Mill County Park. After a delicious meal at which members were invited to share their favorite dish, Ranger Ted Winterfeld, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, spoke about the art of foraging for wild plants as food. He recommended that before eating any wild plant that one may find while foraging he or she should first learn about it, then read some more about it, and then watch someone else eat it and talk to them tomorrow. In other words, be very cautious before eating any wild plants. One should always get permission before foraging on private property that is not owned by the person foraging. If on public property such as a park, learn what may be foraged from the property manager. Ranger Ted gave foraging examples from his experiences like wild leek, spring beauty “nuts,” walnuts, some mushrooms like morels and puffballs, and even younger versions of unexpected plants like stinging nettles and garlic mustard.
Some of the projects for which Master Gardeners volunteered last year were: Ag Days for 4th grade students, Luhr Park Field Days for 5th graders, and growing spaces at several local schools that taught school children about gardening. Other projects included: demonstrating heirloom plantings at the Pioneer Heritage Garden at the La Porte County Fairgrounds and assisting Habitat for Humanity partner families with landscaping their new homes. Altogether, in 2012 the LaPorte County Master Gardeners volunteered nearly 2,750 hours “helping others grow” in La Porte County, a benefit of over $50,000 to the community.
During the meeting, Master Gardeners were recognized for their volunteer work and participation in education activities.
Seventeen interns from the 2012 Master Gardener class were recognized. Included were Jan Manik of Chesterton; Lloyd Anderson, Jan Bradshaw, Pamela Coker, Faith Henry, Susan Kieffer, Dennis Lanie, Leslinda Leon, Patti Lovaas, Linda Weigel all of La Porte; Rima Binder of Long Beach; John Carington, Carl Drzewiecki, Mary Rooney, Stephen Zolvinski all of Michigan City; Raymond Borkowski and Jennifer Kuzdas both of Rolling Prairie.
Two Master Gardeners were certified after completing at least 35 hours of volunteer service. Included were: Ann Fletcher of La Porte and Stacy McGinnis of Grovertown.
Four individuals were designated Advanced Master Gardeners after completing a total of at least 60 hours of volunteer service and attending a minimum 45 hours of gardening education activities. Those recognized as Advanced Master Gardeners were: Jaunda Kneller, Linda Schwartz of La Porte; Johanna Miller of Long Beach; and Annette Van Dusen of New Buffalo, MI.
Seven individuals achieved the Bronze Master Gardener level, having donated at least 200 volunteer hours and attended a minimum of 60 hours of gardening classes. They included Karren Coplen, Jo Ellen Jongkind, Ann Klosinski, Kitty Knoll, and Kathleen Staninger all of La Porte; Rose Olson of Michigan City; and Maryanne Garon of Trail Creek.
Three hard-working gardeners achieved the Silver Master Gardener level this year, having donated at least 500 volunteer hours and attended a minimum of 75 hours of gardening classes, Jerry Murphy of Long Beach; John Connors of New Carlisle; and Nancy Jahnel-Barnes of Michigan City.
One individual, Sharon Cholewa, has put in a tremendous amount of time to achieve Gold Master Gardener – 2000 hour status having donated at least 2000 hours of volunteer time and attended a minimum of 200 hours of gardening education.
The La Porte County Master Gardener Association is one of the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service programs and helps fulfill the state motto of “Helping Others Grow” by training volunteers to promote good gardening and horticultural practices. The Association accomplishes this through its volunteers conducting educational activities and projects in the community throughout the year. For more information about the Master Gardener Program or about becoming a Master Gardener, please contact the La Porte County Extension office at 219-324-9407 or visit www.ag.purdue.edu/counties/laporte and link to “Master Gardeners” or www.hort.purdue.edu/mg/.